Top brass at Related and Neiman met on May 12 at the offices of investment bank Lazard, Neiman Marcus’ recently hired financial adviser, sources close to the situation said. The meeting was called at the request of Related’s chairman, Stephen Ross, according to the sources.

“There was a conversation [for Related] to be part of the ownership group” of Neiman in the event that the luxury chain gets sold, a source close to the situation confirmed.

The deal to bring Neiman Marcus to Hudson Yards, whose talks were first reported by The Post in March 2014, was a linchpin for the project at Tenth Avenue between 31st and 32nd Streets, which will boast more than 100 upscale stores and restaurants.

The three-story Neiman store, whose construction is on track for a fall 2018 opening, will be a dominating retail presence at the $25 billion development, taking up 250,000 of its 750,000 available square feet of retail space.

“Related is panicked that it’ll lose its anchor for the entire project,” according to one source briefed on the situation, adding that “all of the leases at Hudson Yards are subject to a Neiman lease.”

A second source downplayed the risk of a Neiman-driven domino effect Hudson Yards, saying the Neiman store was “just one piece” of the retail strategy.

The complex is 70-percent leased, including the Neiman Marcus portion, a Related spokeswoman said.

see also

She declined to comment, however, when asked about the May 12 meeting.

In 2014, when Related wooed Neiman to its far West side project, Neiman Marcus was a big get. The massive shop will be the first namesake store in Manhattan for Dallas-based Neiman Marcus, which also owns the Bergdorf-Goodman store on Fifth Avenue.

That was before the floor collapsed under the department-store sector, and before Neiman Marcus posted six consecutive quarters of sales declines.

The 42-store chain said in March that it is exploring strategic options, including putting itself up for sale. Owned by the private-equity investors Ares Management and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Neiman is struggling under the weight of nearly $5 billion in debt.

As reported by The Post, Neiman’s merger talks with its most recent suitor, Canada-based Hudson’s Bay, which owns Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor, have cooled in recent weeks amid concerns about a possible legal fracas with creditors over Neiman’s moves to shield some of its assets from a possible bankruptcy.

Since then, Lazard has been shopping Neiman, the source said.

“A lot of people are looking at it,” said another source briefed on the situation. “But Related is keenly interested because it has a huge investment at Hudson Yards.”

A spokeswoman for Neiman Marcus did not immediately respond to a request for comment.